Abbeville, SC

On Tuesday, Cari and I headed over to Abbeville. When we got there, we spent some time looking at the monuments around the court square. There is a fountain placed by the National Humane Alliance that originaly served as a trough for animals tethered in the square, a Confederate monument placed in 1906, and a bell that served as the town alarm.

Buildings face into the square on each side. Standing in the center, you could imagine this being the center of activity in the early 1900's. We walked over to one side of the square where the court house and opera house sit. Both buildings were constructed and opened in 1908. The courthouse of Abbeville has a funny history. The current building is the fifth court house of the town. It appears they were having some issues early on.

I went into the courthouse to get a look at the interior. I stepped inside to be greeted by a guard. Standing at the entrance with my camera, I looked at the metal detectors and this young female cop who was talking on a cell phone. She was just staring at me. I said, "I'm not coming in." She kept staring and talking on her cell phone so I turned and walked out.

The opera house is directly next door so we went to check it out. I walked in to see a hall of offices. Tax collector and city hall are located in this building. At the end of the hall some steps lead down to the theatre. There were no signs or ropes, so I walked down. It is an amazing place. I ran back outside and got Cari. We went in together and took picutres as we explored the theatre. The wooden floors creaked loudly with every step. Cari suggested it was haunted.

It was amazing being able to be in there and take some time to explore. Abbeville was an overnight stop for trains running Atlanta to New York. The theatre was a main attraction for people staying in town a night.

The next main attraction we investigated is the Trinity Episcopal Church. This building towers over the end of a road from court square.

The building was constructed in 1860 and is an amazing structure. We were oustide taking photos when a woman told us we could go inside. Once we were told that, we didn't waste any time getting in. Most things inside are original to the building, including the pews.

this shot is from standing at the front of the church looking back toward the entrance.

There was a sign outside that said it was amazing the church bells still exsist because the Confederate soldiers wanted so badly to melt them into cannon balls during the war.

As we continued walking around town we saw more churches and homes from the early 1900's.

There was too much to see and read for one day.

This white house is the Burt-Stark mansion. We were offered a tour through it but had to decline because we were going to be late meeting the kids at home after school.

The Burt-Stark mansion is where confederate president Jefferson Davis met with his cabinet for the final time and made the decision to end the war and the confederacy. This will definatly be a place to return to.

On the way out of town, we drove past secession hill. This is a place where just weeks after Lincoln was elected, the first organized meeting to seceed from the union took place.

Abbeville, SC is such an amzing place with more history than I could write in this blog. There are so many stories and photos that I have left out to try and keep this from becoming a book.